Rifat Zaidi is from Lahore, Pakistan. After years of medical training in Pakistan and abroad, he and his growing family left his practice in Islamabad and moved to Maine in 2002. Dr. Zaidi works as an orthopedic surgeon at Miles Memorial Hospital in rural Damariscotta, Maine.Dr. Zaidi is part of an organization called Rawalpindi Medical College Overseas Foundation--a group of doctors trained in Pakistan who now work in the United States. Together they pool resources to help alleviate suffering of the poor people of that region, by promoting health and education. He oversees the administration of the girl's primary school. Using his love of Pakistani cooking, and his interest in photography, he is in the process of publishing a Pakistani cookbook to sell as a fundraiser for the girl's school.

Music: "Jungi Ji" by Arif Lohar and Meesha. A Punjabi folk song with a Sufi twist from Coke Studios.

Kerem Durdag was born in Pakistan to Turkish parents, studied at Karachi Grammar School, and then came to the US to attend St. John's University. (To hear his TEDxDirigo talk about his first day at school, click here). He is now the CEO of Biovation in Boothbay, ME, an innovative production business using green materials. Kerem cares very much about contributing to the world around him and is a board member, husband, father, speaker, poet, and enthusiastic lover of life. To read his archived columns (2001 - 2009) in the Portland Press Herald regarding his experiences as an immigrant click here and here.

Janice was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan in a loving Catholic family. She graduated from Karachi University with a degree in economics before moving to the United States with her family. Janice later moved to Maine for work and loved it enough to stay, marry, and raise her own family here. Janice cares very much for women's rights and talks about her life in Pakistan and the US, noting differences she found along the way. Presently, Janice works as the Community Reinvestment Act Officer at Norway Savings Bank.